Harrogate International Festivals brings world class entertainment to town and here's what to expect

Among the many different highlights to enjoy in the next week across Harrogate in a wide array of venues are:

‘Sinatra’ Swings into Town

Mike Lovatt’s Brass Pack swings into town this weekend with a 25-piece brass orchestra celebrating one of the world’s most popular singers, Frank Sinatra, with percussion, harp and jazz rhythm sections.

International trumpet virtuoso Mike Lovatt leads this incredible ‘pack’ of handpicked musicians in performing hit songs (first recorded on Capitol and Reprise record labels) in new and exciting arrangements by Colin Skinner for this Big Brass Pack line-up.

Inspired by the sound of Billy May’s Big Fat Brass, with vocals by the UK’s leading big-band vocalist Matt Ford.

As a brand-new project, Lovatt says “Harrogate audiences are going to see the premiere of this group, with epic reimaginings of classics that people know and love.

"The idea was to create something for 21st century audiences but with a nod back to 1958.

"We’ve got four French horns in our group instead of saxophones, and this changes the sound. What we’re doing is unique. There’s plenty of brass ensembles around but this is something new.”

Mike Lovatt’s Brass Pack will premiere at Harrogate Theatre on Friday, July 14.

Epic Experiences for Kids

The Harrogate Children’s Festival returns this year, this time to the Crown Hotel who will host a weekend of specially curated events for families.

Want to stretch everything from growing brains to tiny toes?

This weekend’s Children’s Festival aims to do just that.

Enjoy beginner friendly, family yoga in a 45 minute class to refresh and rejuvenate the whole family.For something a little different get your dancing shoes and grab your earphones for the return of the Family Silent Disco.

Strut your stuff on the dance floor as DJ Trev leaves behind the bright lights of the clubs for the Crown Hotel dancefloor to spin tunes for all ages.

The dance experiences continue as Northern Ballet dance into town with their interactive show Three Little Pigs.

No experience needed as this professional ballet company will teach you everything you need to know.

Alternatively, travel back in time with History’s Maid, for some horrible history and try your hand at warrior school with the ancient Greeks or be entertained, enlightened and educated about the ultimate dragon story, it can only be Beowulf.

The Children’s Festival takes place on July 15 and 16 at the Crown Hotel.

Young Musicians Finale

The Young Musicians Series as part of Harrogate International Festivals has consistently discovered the ‘next big thing’.

From Julian Lloyd Webber to Amy Winehouse those gracing the Harrogate stage in their formative years often go on to superstardom.

The final Young Musicians concert for 2023 is no stranger to the international stage as Thomas Kelly was a finalist at the 2021 Leeds International Piano Competition and has performed at the Wigmore Hall, St John’s Smith Square and in concert halls across Europe.

Currently a student at the Royal College of Music, Thomas’ programme includes Scarlatti sonatas originally written for harpsichord but successfully transposed for piano, Schumann’s autobiographical Kinderszenen and the rarely heard in concert halls Rachmaninovs’ Piano Sonata in D.

Thomas Kelly will be performing at the Wesley Centre on Saturday, July 15 at 11am.

The Crime Countdown Has Commenced

In just under a week a crime wave will descend on Harrogate as the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary.

The 2023 Festival Chair, award winning crime and thriller author Vaseem Khan, has curated a ground-breaking programme.

Alongside the special guests headlining the Festival, including literary legends Lee Child, Andrew Child, Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware, Ann Cleeves, Jeffery Deaver, Lucy Worsley, S. A. Cosby, Val McDermid, and Chris Hammer, the full programme includes some of the biggest names in crime fiction.

The event is expected to sell more than 17,000 tickets this year, with many events sold out weeks ago.

The Festival will start with Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award ceremony, where the winner of crime writing’s most prestigious accolade will be revealed alongside the recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award.

Longstanding sponsor Simon Theakston, Executive Director of Theakston, commented: “This year’s Festival will be another monumental event for the world of crime fiction.

"It has been a pleasure to be a part of the Festival over the past 20 years and following the full programme announcement, I am thoroughly looking forward to celebrating once again at the world’s best crime writing Festival over a pint of Old Peculier”

Exploring everything from the perfect murderous opening, police procedurals and dark obsessions to legal thrillers and the golden age of crime, this year’s 20th anniversary programme will see a variety of acclaimed crime and thriller authors discussing the genre and influences on their writing, including Janice Hallett, Shari Lapena, Louise Candlish, Abir Mukherjee, Steve Cavanagh, Elly Griffiths, Ragnar Jónasson, Clare Mackintosh, Mick Herron, Will Dean, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Chris Brookmyre, and many more!

The all-star line-up of events includes the return of Val McDermid’s New Blood panel, celebrating four brilliant debut crime writers, and the popular Late-Night Quiz, hosted by McDermid and Mark Billingham, armed with trivia, titles and tricks to test the knowledge of crime fiction fanatics.

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival takes place at the Old Swan Hotel from Thursday, July 20 to Sunday, July 23.

For the full programme visit: www.harrogateinternationalfestivals.com